New Disposal
An Item Disposal records stock leaving because it is no longer sellable — damaged, expired, stolen or obsolete. It reduces Quantity On Hand and books the loss to your accounts, so the value of stock you no longer have stops sitting in your balance sheet.
Where to find it
Go to Items & Services > Disposal > + Add New Disposal, or use New > Disposal.
Disposal has to be switched on first. Until an account is chosen in Setup > System and GL Setup > Inventory Disposal/Write-Off Account, the New Disposal button does not appear — the field ships set to No Disposal.
Only the create action is withheld. The Disposals list and the detailed view stay available, so past disposals remain readable even where the feature is currently switched off.
Header field reference
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Location | The site the stock is removed from, keeping location-level counts accurate. |
| Reference | The unique tracking number, editable to match a waste log or disposal certificate. |
| Date | The date the physical disposal happened. Must fall in an open accounting period. |
| Barcode | Scan to add items rather than typing codes. |
| Branch / Department | The organisational unit the loss is attributed to. |
Disposal Items
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Item | The stock item being written off. |
| Batch / Expiry | The batch being disposed of. For expiry write-offs this is the whole point — dispose the batch that actually expired. |
| Quantity | How many units are being removed. |
| Cost | The value written off, based on the item's standard or average cost. |
Memo
Record the reason — "water damage in transit", "expired batch", "breakage during handling". Disposals attract attention precisely because nothing was received in return, so the explanation matters.
Attachments (Choose File)
Attach photographs of the damaged goods, a disposal certificate, or the internal authorisation.
Custom Fields
Extra inputs where the standard form does not capture what you need, enabled under Setup > Preferences.
Action Buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Update | Recalculates without committing. |
| Process Disposal | Finalises it, removing stock and posting the loss. |
General Ledger
| Account | Effect |
|---|---|
| Inventory Disposal/Write-Off | Debited — the loss hits your profit and loss. |
| Inventory Account | Credited — stock value falls as the goods leave. |
| Loss On Asset Disposal | An additional entry raised only when the item is a fixed asset, carrying the difference against its book value. |
These entries are raised only where the item carries a standard cost above zero, or is a fixed asset. Disposing of a zero-cost item removes the quantity but posts nothing — there is no value to write off. If a disposal shows no ledger entries, check the item's cost before assuming the posting failed.
Related pages
- Disposals List — find existing disposals
- Disposal View — read one in detail
- New Adjustment — for corrections rather than losses
- System and GL Setup — configuring the write-off account